Is Locust, NC tap water safe?
The short answer
1 of the 2 utilities serving Locust has a result above a legal limit or action level, or a health-based violation since 2016, in EPA’s and CDC’s records: Stanfield #3 - Polk Ford/Renee Ford.
Stanly Co - West Stanly Dist, which serves the most people here, has 1 result above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. The worst: PFOS at 5.7 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
A town can be served by more than one utility, and some homes are on private wells. The name on your water bill tells you which is yours, and your ZIP code narrows it down. They are listed by how many people each serves in Locust’s ZIP codes, from EPA’s estimates.
- Open report
Stanly Co - West Stanly Dist
North Carolina · serves 9,939 people · about 900 in Locust
1 result above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029. The worst: PFOS at 5.7 ppt, above EPA’s new limit, which takes effect in 2029.
No health-based violations since 2016
- Open report
Stanfield #3 - Polk Ford/Renee Ford
North Carolina · serves 854 people · about 400 in Locust
1 result above the legal limit. The worst: Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) at 84.3 ppb, above the legal limit.
8 health-based violations since 2016
What handles it
Each of these is certified, on a certifier’s listing, for a result above a line in Stanly Co - West Stanly Dist’s water, which serves the most people here. Another utility’s report names what handles its own results.
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ZeroWater 10 Cup Pitcher (ZP-010)
Pitcher
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53checked Oct. 4, 2026
Certified for: PFOS
Aquasana Claryum Direct Connect (AQ-MF-1)
Under-sink carbon
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 16, 2026
Certified for: PFOS
Express Water StreamLine Direct Connect System (USC001)
Under-sink carbon
- IAPMO listing:NSF/ANSI 42NSF/ANSI 53NSF/ANSI 401checked Oct. 16, 2026
Certified for: PFOS
Water testing near Locust
The 3 labs North Carolina certifies closest to Locust, in a straight line. Call first: certification is test by test, and not every lab takes samples from homeowners.
K & W Laboratories, LLC
Midland, NC · about 4 miles
Certified for bacteria, nitrate, lead and copper, metals, minerals and other inorganics
Union County Health Department
Monroe, NC · about 15 miles
Certified for bacteria
Pace Analytical Services- Huntersville NC
Huntersville, NC · about 25 miles
Certified for bacteria, organic chemicals, disinfection byproducts
Which ZIP codes are in Locust: Census 2020 relationship files. Which utilities serve them, and how many people: EPA SDWIS and EPA’s service area map. Each utility’s results: EPA UCMR 5, EPA SDWIS, and EPA’s and the state’s compliance monitoring, as its report lists them. How they are measured: methodology. Certified labs: North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health, certified drinking water laboratories; distances from the Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation area gazetteer.
Near Locust
Other towns in Stanly County with a page of their own.
What to do next
- Read Stanly Co - West Stanly Dist’s full reportEvery result with its dates, the violations, and the certification claim that handles each finding.Open the report
- Filters for PFOSRanked by certification and what they cost over five years.The best water filters for PFAS, ranked
- On a private well?No utility tests a well. A certified lab test is the first step.How to test well water